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Adventure Time is nothing if it is not a show that is willing to change as its story evolves. For example, this week’s episode of Adventure Time begins in the Ice Kingdom. Loyal adventure enthusiasts will remember a time when the Ice King was the baddest bad around, always kidnapping princesses and forcing them to marry him.

Now, he plays more of a goofy support role. He goes on fun background adventures with his pals. He writes fanfic. He’s hardly evil at all, in fact. There was a time when an episode of Adventure Time that opened in the Ice Kingdom would surly have ended in a battle between sword and ice magic over a princess. Now, it’s just a quick stop before the Ice King and his magic pals set off on a sweet road trip.

Ice King hops onboard the bus in the Ice Kingdom, with pals Abracadaniel, Little Dude, Ancient Sleeping Magi of Life Giving, Bo, Leaf Man and Ron James, to head out on a destiny-will-guide-us kind of trip. As Ice King greets his bros, he finds a new guy he’s never met before at the back of the bus. When he asks Abracadaniel who the old man is, Abracadaniel tells him that they don’t know, they just picked him up. The group decides to call the old mysterious stranger Giuseppe. And so their adventure has begun.

As the bros hit the open road, Ron James explains the plan. The group will travel to Cheek’s Peak atop Big Butt Rock. There, the eight of them will combine their magic powers to open a new school of magic. The general mission statement is that it will be awesome, and less pretentious than other magical secret societies that have come before it.

As Ron James finishes explaining the plan to his bros, Abracadaniel pulls off at Finn and Jake’s crib. In the bus, the Ice King tells the other wizards that Finn and Jake will never join the trip. And he’s right. Meanwhile, in the treehouse, Finn and Jake see the bus full of wizards pull up and trade jokes about what lame things they could possibly be up to. But Abracadaniel isn’t here for Finn and Jake. He’s here for the Water Nymphs. And with the help of his wingman, Ron James, he and his wizard bros now have the company of some ladies on their magical road trip.

About a third of the way through the episode, it seems like it’s finally time to hit the open road. Here we go. But, as the bus comes to a rolling halt in a cow pasture, our group of misfit wizards and their water nymph companions—and Giuseppe—have stopped once again. Not only are they out of gas, but the wheels have fallen off the bus. In the middle of a muddy old cow pasture, the Ice King dances on top of the bus while the group writes strange new words with magic ink on rolls of toilet paper. It’s almost the most productive time the group has had all episode. That is, until a gun-wielding farmer runs out and runs the group off. Using the Ice King’s magic powers, the group hightails it in the wheelless bus.

Sliding onto of the frictionless ice road works for a while, but even the Ice King runs out of juice eventually. He and Abracadaniel switch magic hats so that Abracadaniel can use the ice magic for road building. Back in motion, the group slowly slides past a crabapple tree. Spying the delicious fruits, the Ice King decides the group could really use a snack. He asks Giuseppe to hop off the bus and grab some. Giuseppe is happy to oblige, but his old, slow body can’t keep up with the bus. He throws the crabapples onto the bus, but isn’t able to make it onboard himself.

To pass the time on the way to Big Butt Rock, the group reads the words they wrote back at the cow pasture. Some are beautiful, some are hip, some are deep. When Abracadaniel signals down to the bus that they are getting close to their destination, the Ice King puts all the spells into a cauldron and and makes a spell that puts the whole bus to sleep. With nobody driving, the bus goes careening into a swamp.

All the members of the group try to use their different powers to help the bus out of the water. When the water nymphs decide that it’s hopeless, they bail on the group. With no obvious magical out, Abracadaniel suggests that it could be a test from destiny. If the group just chills, perhaps the answer will reveal itself. Just as he finishes suggesting this, the bus flies up out of the swamp. When the group gets off the bus, they see that it is Giuseppe who has saved them, with magic powers they never knew he had. Giving the group a thumbs-up, Giuseppe dissolves into specks of light.

Sometime in the future, in Wizard City, pretentious secret wizards do an exclusive handshake and talk about secret plans. Abracadaniel walks by them and flashes a cool secret gold badge with a crabapple tree on it to Ancient Sleeping Magi of Life Giving. The group has accomplished its goal. They have their own secret group now. And it’s cool.

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons